Happy Sunday War & Peaceniks. Ready to pivot?
The last job I had was at Comcast in 2017. I got fired. Pretty publicly. On my 50th birthday.
At home, getting high on the roof deck of my building, I came to the sudden, dramatic realization that my life as an executive in corporate Media was over. First, because it was very clear that my reputation as a disruptor was attractive to Media conglomerates only via window shopping, not in reality. Second, it was obvious that, while I loved the trappings of executivehood, I hated the culture. Last, I realized the time for middle-aged white dudes to be running literally everything needed to end, and it was time for me to get out of the way.
I was fortunate to have negotiated a nice runway and clever enough to have carved out consulting gigs from my non-compete. So I pivoted. I tried a bunch of stuff. Some worked. Most of it didn't. So I kept on pivoting.
Then I started an experiment. I originally moved to New York and got into show business to write. So, I started writing - every day. On LinkedIn. Regardless of how I felt, I made it my daily job to try to add value to the community as best I could. The algorithm perked up. Traffic built. Suddenly, a few folks were asking to meet up to talk about projects. Opportunity started to come my way. Slowly.
Still, I wrote on LinkedIn - every day. I elbowed my way on stage at conferences, for free, to help expand my footprint, covering expenses out of pocket. Then I posted my Media Map. And things started to rev up.
At the urging of an agent, I created a treatment for a book. It failed to sell - eleven publishers passed. So I turned the spec chapter into a newsletter, which you are reading now.
Over time, after an enormous amount of personal investment, things took off. I picked up bigger, more notable consulting clients. I started to get paid to speak. I converted my personal brand from “that loud executive who’s always trying weird shit,” to “Media Cartographer,” a moniker that I literally made up. But - please note - these are recent phenomena, relative to when I got shitcanned by Kabletown. They all happened for the first time post-50 and post-pivot.
And still, I write every day. I meet with almost anyone who asks, to offer advice to those who want it, share best practices to those who are willing, and explore partnerships with those who are interested. I teach at two Universities, because I love teaching, but also because standing in front of a bunch of skeptical 18-22 year old students once a week keeps me sharp. Every day, I wake up and spend two hours reading and writing, looking for something new to learn, seeking new ways to add value to the community around me.
The biggest difference now versus then: Most opportunity is inbound. It’s a return on the value I ship daily. I still write every day. I still wake up thinking about how I can add value to the community. It’s now what I do for a living.
Many things I did to pivot from executive to Cartographer can’t be duplicated. They are form-fitted for an Evan-shaped space. But many are simple, rudimentary steps anyone can take to pivot from where they are stuck to where they can move forward.
Over the course of the past few years, I’ve seen many others in our community make their own pivots, in their own ways.
H Schuster was a successful producer and TV executive. She is now the founder and CEO of HUSSLUP, an AI-powered online network that connects creative talent in media and entertainment with each other and with the companies that hire them.
Tim Duffy is an Emmy-winning television producer and director. When the grind of selling TV shows became less fun and rewarding than actually making them, he transformed himself into a certified mindfulness teacher and coach, who has been instrumental in getting me through my battle with cancer.
Marion Ranchet was a successful exec in Media and Telecom who got burned out by the corporate game of thrones. Today, she is a content creator, with her own business specializing in the crazy world of OTT in Europe.
John Lane pivoted his whole career at 62, from marketing executive to leadership coach and podcaster. He now helps senior teams deal with the myriad challenges of managing change while leading organizations.
Ami Angelowicz is a producer and former corporate Media executive, who used her last layoff as as a catalyst to make her second pivot, now writing a wonderful and remarkably useful newsletter Laid Off Life, while also writing for film and television.
Each of these pivoters - and many others I know - did so for their own reasons and in ways that made the most sense for them. None of them simply glided from one life to another without any friction. I’ve said in this space that people must look beyond the edges of their own experiences for different opportunities where they can thrive. But I do not mean it is easy. As each of the folks above will tell you, reinvention is a day-to-day mother-fucking slog.
BUT it starts with step one. Then it takes steps two through ten thousand. And then, you need to repeat those steps, over and over. If you can take that first step and you have the endurance and persistence to keep at it, even when you fail, then you can make a successful pivot.
I've talked to thousands of people who face these challenges - young, not so young, and old like me.
The common factors people use for not making that first move are the attachment to what's past and the fear of what might happen if you take the wrong step. The secret to starting a successful pivot is letting both go.
I've written many times, at some length, about how this process works. All of it can be found here.
On May 20th, as part of the three-day Streaming Media NYC conference I am hosting, I’m producing a full-day seminar dedicated to Career Transformation. It will be hosted by Ami Angelowicz and another prolific pivoter, Lori Greene. The panels, presentations, and workshops will offer best practices for transforming a career from those who’ve done it, on building a business around your superpowers, and for marketing yourself without seeming like you’re marketing yourself.
If you're facing this kind of challenge now, you need to know that you are so not alone. There are many of us out here to listen and share. Let go of what's holding you back. Take a risk on yourself. If not you, then who else will? Despite your fear and anxiety, to get where you want to go, you do have to take that first step.
As always, I’m happy to chat about this stuff. Just reach out. Until then, or otherwise, please remember to enjoy your week.
ESHAP
Thank you for the shout out, Evan! You are an expander for all who have the pivot in their heart. I am just a year into my pivot (aka career transformation) and I've never been happier. Can't wait to share more at Streaming Media!
I need to find a new way to tell you how much I love your stuff.